Insertion tool for tire valve stems

ABSTRACT

A tool for the insertion of valve stems in the wheel rims for tubeless tires is disclosed. The tool avoids the common practice of removing the tire from the rim for replacement or insertion of the valve stem. The tool is entirely hand powered and operated and comprises a push rod slidably mounted in a body sleeve which has a tapered internal wall with a very slight included angle, less than 10*, so that the rod can be pushed with a minimum of force to compress the bulbous end of the stem until it is discharged into the hole of the rim. The discharge face of the sleeve has a tip that inserts into the hole with an outside shoulder that bears against the rim as the rod is pushed through the sleeve to steady the sleeve and hold it in place.

Sampo INSERTION TOOL FOR TIRE VALVE STEMS [76] Inventor: John J. Sampo,14001 Bre naii Way, Santa Ana, Calif. 92705 221 Filed: Sept. 16, 1971 21Appl.No.: 181,151

Primary Examiner-Harold D. Whitehead Assistant Examiner-J. C. PetersAttorney-Robert E. Strauss [57] ABSTRACT A tool for the insertion ofvalve stems in the wheel rims for tubeless tires is disclosed. The toolavoids the common practice of removing the tire from the rim forreplacement or insertion of the valve stem. The tool is entirely handpowered and operated and comprises a push rod slidably mounted in a bodysleeve which has a tapered internal wall with a very slight includedangle, less than 10", so that the rod can be pushed with a minimum offorce to compress the bulbous end of the stem until it is dischargedinto the hole of the rim. The discharge face of the sleeve has a tipthat inserts into the hole with an outside shoulder that bears againstthe rim as the rod is pushed through the sleeve to steady the sleeve andhold it in place.

9 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures PAIENIEB AUG 7 I973 INVENTOR. JOHN J SAMPO IATTORNEY FI GUIQE FIGURE 2 FIGURE I) INSEIITION TOOL FOR TIRE VALVESTEMS DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to a tool forinserting an elastic eyelet into a hole and, in particular, to the toolfor the insertion of a valve stem for a tubeless tire into the rim of awheel while the tire remains mounted on the rim.

Tubeless tires having a tire casing mounted on a wheel rim commonly havea valve stem carried by a hole in the rim. The stem has a threadedsleeve for attachment of a cap and a spring biased valve insert ismounted in the stem. Attached to the sleeve is a bulbous portion of anelastic material and a groove is placed about a mid-portion of thiselastic material to permit the bulbous portion to seat against theinside and outside faces of the rim. The stems are commonly insertedfrom the inside of the wheel by inserting the stem through the hole andpulling it until the groove in the bulbous portion seats about the hole.This installation requires that the tire be removed from the wheel.

A number of tools have been proposed for inserting valve stems directlyinto the rim from the outside of the wheel, thereby avoiding the commonpractice of removing the tire for replacement of a faulty valve stem.These devices, however, have used complex or cumbersome power assistssuch as an air pressure actuated tool that is presently on the market orthe tools shown in US. Pat. Nos. 2,438,642 and 2,457,930. Anotherdevice, shown in US. Pat. No. 3,387,354 is lever actuated, and forcesthe stem through a relatively sharply tapered nozzle. In all theseunits, the tool is selfsupporting and the stern can be moved through thenarrownozzle tip of the tool without supporting the tip against anybearing surface.

It has now been found that a greatly simplified tool for the insertionof valve stems can be provided by careful design of the sleeve of thetool. In particular, it

' has been found that a tool can be provided which functions entirely onunaided or unassisted hand power that is applied to a push rod bearingthe stem to force the stem through a tapered sleeve if: (1) the includedangle of the taper of the sleeve is less than and (2) a shoulder isprovided on the discharge end of the tool to permit engagement of thedischarge end of the tool in the hole of the rim, thereby preventing anysidewise dislodgement of the tool when the user exerts his force on thepush rod. The latter element is has been found completely eliminates thenecessity that the tool be self-supporting in use.

The tool that comprises the invention disclosed herein, has thefollowing components:

I. a push rod having a handle at one end and bearing, at its oppositeend, means for the removable attachment of the threaded end of the valvestem; and

2. a sleeve, bearing at one end the means to engage the hole in the rimof the wheel and a smooth taper extending between cross sectionscorresponding to the unconfined stem and to the hole in the rim of thewheel.

The sleeve furthermore has a taper with a total included angle which isless than 10 and bears, at its discharge end, a shoulder at an angle nogreater than about 60 to the longitudinal axis of the tool and extendingabout the outside periphery of the discharge end to permit the tip ofthe tool to be inserted into the hole of the rim with the shoulderengaged in bearing contact against the rim.

The invention will now be described by reference to the FIGS., of which:

FIG. 1 shows the handle and guide cap components of the tool with avalve stem mounted thereon;

FIG. 2 shows the tool placed on the hole in a wheel rim and the stempartly compressed; and

FIG. 3 shows the stem in place with the sleeve of the tool withdrawnfrom the rim.

The FIGURES illustrate the tool in a sequence of steps which correspondto the manner in which the tool is used. FIG. 1 shows the rod 10 of thetool which bears a handle 12 on one end, secured thereto by an internalrib ll molded into the bore 13 of handle 12. The rod has a groove 15into which rib 11 engages. Other conventional means such as threads or apressed fit could also be used. The opposite end of rod It} bears meansfor the removable attachment of valve stem 14. Various means can beused; a threaded bore 16 is shown and the conventional threaded sleeve18 of the stem is turned therein.

If desired, a rod guide 20 can be provided on rod 10. This guide can becup-shaped as shown with side walls that will engage about the inlet endof the sleeve of the tool. A central bore 22 is provided through theguide and rod 10 passes through the bore to permit the cap to slidefreely on the rod. I have found that this guide is not necessary and,for simplicity of the tool, it is not in the preferred assembly. Theguide can, however, be used in the tool assembly if desired.

The valve stem is conventional, with sleeve 18 embedded in a body of anelastic material, typically rubber, which has a bulbous end 24 with aperipheral groove 26 around the end. The stem has a central,longitudinal passageway into which is secured the conventional valvemeans in the form of a threaded insert in sleeve 18.

FIG. 2 shows the tool in use with the sleeve in cross section. Rod 10has been inserted into the sleeve 28 which is an elongated member havingat its inlet end 29 a cross sectional area of the unconfined bulbousportion 24 of valve stem 14. The valve stem is shown partiallycompressed and in a slightly distorted shape as a result of rod 10having been advanced to a mid portion of sleeve 28.

The opposite or discharge end 30 of sleeve 28 has a cross sectional areaconforming in shape and slightly smaller in area than the cross sectionof hole 32 in the side flange 34 of the wheel. The internal wall 36 ofsleeve 28 extends between its inlet and discharge ends as a smoothlytapered wall with a total included angle which is less than 10, and,preferably, is from 2 to about 7. As illustrated, the sidewall has ataper of 4 and extends from a circular inlet having a diameter of 0.875inch to a discharge having a diameter of 0.433 inch. This is designedfor use on the standard size valve stem used on late model American andEuropean cars. This included angle is important in the functioning ofthe tool since included angles of 10 or greater require too great aforce to advance the stern along sleeve 28 and compress it sufficientlyto discharge it from the sleeve. The outside wall of sleeve 28 can beany suit able shape; it can be tapered at any angle equal to ordifferent from the inner wall or can be cylindrical, etc. The sleevewill, preferably, be formed by rolling or extruding the sleeve fromtubular stock and its sidewalls will, therefore, be slightly thicker atthe discharge end,

resulting in a lesser taper in the outside walls than in the insidewalls.

The discharge end of sleeve 18 bears against the wheel and the forceapplied to handle 12 is reacted directly on the flange 34. The dischargeend of the sleeve can slip or be dislodged from its position oppositehole 32 in the event that the operator fails to align the sleeve exactlyperpendicular to flange 34 or applies a force with a sidewise component.Accordingly, means are provided on the discharge end of the sleeve tomaintain it in alignment with hole 32. This is shown as shoulder 36which is shown as a chamfer having an angle of about 45. Preferably, anyshoulder having an angle to the longitudinal axis of the sleeve which isno greater than about 60 will function adequately to retain the sleevein alignment with hole 32. At angles greater than about 60, there can beinadequate reaction against the sides of hole 32 to retain the sleeve inalignment when the tool is at an acute angle to hole 32 or whenexcessive side force is applied.

FIG. 3 illustrates a tool as it is withdrawn from the wheel, followingthe seating of valve stem 14 in hole 32. This tool has a sleeve 38 whichis used with the standard size valve stem of early model American carsand has a circular inlet with a diameter of about 1.00 inch and adischarge of 0.60 inch. The inside side-wall has an included angle of 4.The sleeve also has an alternative shoulder 40 at its discharge end.This is shown as a peripheral offset shoulder wherein the angle betweenthe shoulder and the axis of the tool is i.e., the shoulder and the axisof the tool are parallel. The diameter of annular shoulder 40 ispreferably slightly less than that of hole 32 to avoid binding of thesleeve in hole 32.

The valve stem 14 is shown with groove 26 in hole 32 and with itsbulbous end seated to each side of this hole. The end expands as itenters the wheel and is discharged from sleeves 38 or 28 and theexpanded end retains the stem as the sleeve is withdrawn from the hole.The push rod can then be removed from stem 14 and the stem will bemounted on the wheel from the outside of the wheel.

The tool offers considerable advantages over the various prior toolsdesigned to insert valve stems from outside of tires. it is considerablysimpler and easier to use since it does not require an extaneous powersource but, instead, can be used entirely by hand power. The

tool also has no levers or mechanisms to multiply the applied force.Instead, the tool has a sleeve which is tapered at a sufficiently smallincluded angle as to permit seating of the valve stem with a force ofabout 15 to 80 pounds.

The use of the tool is facilitated by lubrication of the valve stem orinside walls of the tool sleeve. Preferably, a non-hydrocarbon lubricantis used to avoid swelling of any rubber portions of the valve stem.Examples of suitable lubricants are soap, silicon liquids such as areavailable in spray cans or stick lubricants, etc. A very suitablelubricant is the hand cleaner emulsion commonly used by service stationsand garages. When the stem is formed with neoprene or other elastomerswhich tolerate hydrocarbons, lubricants such as petroleum waxes and oilscan be used. The lubricant is preferably applied to the inside surfacesof the sleeve and the valve stem is moistened or wetted with waterbefore insertion into the sleeve.

The invention has been described with reference to illustrated andpreferred modes of practice. Other embodiments can of course be used,e.g., the metal sleeve can be replaced with molded or extruded plasticsleeves formed of Nylon, Teflon. Delrin, etc.. and any of these can beimpregnated with graphite for added lubricity.

While the invention has been described with reference to specificallyillustrated and preferred modes of practice, it is not intended that theinvention be unduly limited thereby. Instead, it is intended that theinvention be defined by the means and their obvious equivalents setforth in the following claims.

I claim:

1. A tool having no more than two operative parts for inserting a valvestem having a threaded tube and a bulbous end into a hole in the rim ofa wheel bearing a tubeless tire, said two parts being:

1. a rod having a handle at one end and bearing, at its opposite end,means for the removable attachment of the threaded tube of the valvestem; and

2. a sleeve for receiving said rod in reciprocable relationship thereto,having at one of its ends an internal cross section conforming to theshape and at least equal to the cross sectional area of the unconfinedbulbous end of the valve stem, at its opposite end an internal crosssection conforming to the shape and slightly lesser than the area of thehole in the rim of said wheel, a smoothly tapered wall extending betweenthe ends thereof at a total included angle less than 10, and a shoulderat an angle no greater than about 60 to the longitudinal axis of saidtool and extending about the outside periphery of said opposite end topermit the tip of said opposite end to be inserted into the hole in saidrim and said shoulder to be engaged in bearing contact against said rim.

2. The tool of claim 1 wherein said shoulder comprises a chamfered endwith an angle of about 45.

3. The tool of claim 1 wherein said shoulder comprises a peripheraloffset shoulder.

4. The tool of claim 1 wherein said included angle is from 2 to about 7.

5. The tool of claim 1 wherein said sleeve is conical.

6. The tool of claim 5 wherein said sleeve has a diameter at one end of0.875 inch and a diameter at the opposite end of 0.433 inch.

7. The tool of claim 1 wherein said sleeve has a diameter at one end of1 inch and a diameter at the opposite end of 0.6 inch.

8. The tool of claim 1 wherein said rod is completely removeable fromsaid sleeve.

9. A tool having no more than three operative parts for inserting avalve stem having a threaded tube and a bulbous end into a hole in therim of a wheel bearing a tubeless tire, said three parts being:

1. a rod having a handle at one end and bearing, at its opposite end,means for the removable attachment of the threaded tube of the valvestem;

2. a sleeve for receiving said rod in reciprocable relationship thereto,having at one of its ends an internal cross section conforming to theshape and at least equal to the cross sectional area of the unconfinedbulbous end of the valve stem, at its opposite end an internal crosssection conforming to the shape and slightly lesser than the area of thehole in the rim of said wheel, a smoothly tapered wall extending betweenthe ends thereof at a total included angle less than 10, and a shoulderat an 6 angle no greater than about 60 to the longitudinal contactagainst said rim; and axis of said tool and extending about the outside3 a cup-shaped rod guide member having a central periphery of saidopposite end to permit the tip of bore surrounding said rod and sidewalls that resaid opposite end to be inserted into the hole in movablyengage about the inlet end of said sleeve.

i t I said rim and said shoulder to be engaged in bearing 5

1. A tool having no more than two operative parts for inserting a valvestem having a threaded tube and a bulbous end into a hole in the rim ofa wheel bearing a tubeless tire, said two parts being:
 1. a rod having ahandle at one end and bearing, at its opposite end, means for theremovable attachment of the threaded tube of the valve stem; and
 2. asleeve for receiving said rod in reciprocable relationship thereto,having at one of its ends an internal cross section conforming to theshape and at least equal to the cross sectional area of the unconfinedbulbous end of the valve stem, at its opposite end an internal crosssection conforming to the shape and slightly lesser than the area of thehole in the rim of said wheel, a smoothly tapered wall extending betweenthe ends thereof at a total included angle less than 10*, and a shoulderat an angle no greater than about 60* to the longitudinal axis of saidtool and extending about the outside periphery of said opposite end topermit the tip of said opposite end to be inserted into the hole in saidrim and said shoulder to be engaged in bearing contact against said rim.2. a sleeve for receiving said rod in reciprocable relationship thereto,having at one of its ends an internal cross section conforming to theshape and at least equal to the cross sectional area of the unconfinedbulbous end of the valve stem, at its opposite end an internal crosssection conforming to the shape and slightly lesser than the area of thehole in the rim of said wheel, a smoothly tapered wall extending betweenthe ends thereof at a total included angle less than 10*, and a shoulderat an angle no greater than about 60* to the longitudinal axis of saidtool and extending about the outside periphery of said opposite end topermit the tip of said opposite end to be inserted into the hole in saidrim and said shoulder to be engaged in bearing contact against said rim.2. The tool of claim 1 wherein said shoulder comprises a chamfered endwith an angle of about 45*.
 2. a sleeve for receiving said rod inreciprocable relationship thereto, having at one of its ends an internalcross section conforming to the shape and at least equal to the crosssectional area of the unconfined bulbous end of the valve stem, at itsopposite end an internal cross section conforming to the shape andslightly lesser than the area of the hole in the rim of said wheel, asmoothly tapered wall extending between the ends thereof at a totalincluded angle less than 10*, and a shoulder at an angle no greater thanabout 60* to the longitudinal axis of said tool and extending about theoutside periphery of said opposite end to permit the tip of saidopposite end to be inserted into the hole in said rim and said shoulderto be engaged in bearing contact against said rim; and
 3. a cup-shapedrod guide member having a central bore surrounding said rod and sidewalls that removably engage about the inlet end of said sleeve.
 3. Thetool of claim 1 wherein said shoulder comprises a peripheral offsetshoulder.
 4. The tool of claim 1 wherein said included angle is from 2*to about 7*.
 5. The tool of claim 1 wherein said sleeve is conical. 6.The tool of claim 5 wherein said sleeve has a diameter at one end of0.875 inch and a diameter at the opposite end of 0.433 inch.
 7. The toolof claim 1 wherein said sleeve has a diameter at one end of 1 inch and adiameter at the opposite end of 0.6 inch.
 8. The tool of claim 1 whereinsaid rod is completely removeable from said sleeve.
 9. A tool having nomore than three operative parts for inserting a valve stem having athreaded tube and a bulbous end into a hole in the rim of a wheelbearing a tubeless tire, said three parts being: